Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - Book Review

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Series: Emily Wilde #1 (Standalone) 

Publication Date: 19th Jan 2023

Genre: Historical Fantasy 

4.2 Stars 

One liner: Entertaining and fun  

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor with exceptional knowledge of Faeries and the Folk. She is writing the world’s first ‘Encyclopaedia of Faeries’ and needs a final chapter about the Hidden Ones. This takes her to a remote small town far in the North. However, her absolute lack of people skills results in alienating the very people she needs to interview. 

Then arrives the insufferable Wendell Bambleby, her only friend and academic archrival, intent on ‘helping her’ finish her research. Bambleby has already charmed the townsfolk, but his ‘help’ is not something Emily wants. 

They somehow start to work it out until Emily is faced with challenges to tackle the Hidden Ones and find out what Bambleby really wants. However, it means she may have to stop burying her emotions and unlock her heart to allow people inside. 

The story comes in Emily’s first-person narrative through a journal. 

What I Like: 

Emily and Wendell are easy characters to read. I’m sure many introverts can see the real Emily behind her no-nonsense exterior. Wendell, well… he reminded me of Hercule Poirot at times, though the two of them belong to opposite ends (or may not). 

The interaction between the lead pair is a treat. Their sassy responses sometimes border on rude, but hey, it is fun. They are comfortable in each other’s presence, which shows in their conversations.   

Poe is a delightfully cute character. Shadow is the stark opposite but another good character in the book. Aud and Lijja were the other two characters I like. I wish Thora also had more space in the book. 

The setting is atmospheric and vivid without tons of lyrical prose. It helps that Emily isn’t the type to waste her energy on poetic descriptions of the forests, trees, etc. But… (more in the next section). 

The last part of the story isn’t what I expected, but it still works well. I like how everything ties up to complete the plot while leaving the subplot open for the sequel. 

The HFN ending did make me happy. It stays true to the character arcs, so that’s another advantage. Of course, I have high hopes for the next book. (Dear author, I assume it will be available real soon.) 

There’s a bibliography at the end (mine is an electronic copy), which is just as entertaining with snippets of information and personal comments. 

I also like the folktales shared in the book even though the ones in the middle are distracting and slow down the plot. 

What Could Have Been Better for Me: 

The writing isn’t easy to read. We are reading Emily’s journal, but the roundabout writing is irksome at times. Also, it makes the narration painfully slow. The % just doesn’t move. The book has 330+ pages but feels like a 400+ page book because of this. 

The romance is non-existent. My expectations were less, given Emily’s character, but I couldn’t get even the minimum. Going into the book for romance will be disappointing. I hope there will be some in the sequel. (And copying a GR friend… no love triangles, please! *shudder*)

That one scene that propels the story forward in the second half feels a little too abrupt. I see why it seems that way. This is Emily’s journal, after all. Yet, I’d prefer it to be smoother. 

To summarize, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a fun book about a mousy scholarly girl, faeries, and some magic. The plot is mostly light, but there are a few disturbing scenes that can give you the creeps. Looking forward to the second book. (Did I mention how adorable Wendell is?) 

Thank you, NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and Orbit, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #EmilyWildesEncyclopaediaofFaeries

***

P.S: Which cover do you like?